Carlton have suspended the membership of a podcast host after he made a disgusting comment about the club’s female-focussed fan group.
The podcast is hosted by Carlton supporters although it has no official link to the club.
A clip from the podcast went viral — for all the wrong reasons — during the week when host Rocco Stagnitti, said he would “punch the f*** out of the Besties”.
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The Carlton Besties are a popular fan group who have created a safe space for women and others to feel welcome at the footy.
Stagnitti was talking about a charity boxing match between content creators when he made the sickening comment. His three other male panellists all burst out in laughter.
“Name one creator out there that I wouldn’t beat up,” Stagnitti said.
As his mates suggested other content creators, Stagnitti then said: “But anyone else … I’d punch the f*** out of the Besties”.
As the boys all laughed, another added: “There you go, Respects Round, mate, right there, Respects Round mate.”
Carlton did not waste time in investigating as fans called out the “toxic masculine energy”.
They revoked the membership of the podcast host until at least the end of the season and all four individuals — and anyone who contributes to the program — has been offered access to “respect” education.
“Football should be a place for everyone to enjoy a sense of community and belonging,” Carlton said in a statement.
“The segment was abhorrent and in no way reflective of the values of the Carlton Football Club or the wider Carlton community, who have, and continue to be, incredibly supportive of the club’s commitment to raising awareness around the prevention of violence.
“Violence against women is never acceptable, and content of this nature reinforces why education around respectful relationships remains so important, which the club remains committed to supporting.”
Several high-profile AFL journalists and experts have been appalled by the vile comment.
Responding to one person who shared the clip, Channel 7’s Kate McCarthy said: “Footy is not YOUR SPACE bro. And we are well past putting violence against women down to ‘boys being boys.’ Grow up.”
News Corp AFL journalist Lauren Wood said: “Been hard to find the words on this one. But god, we’re tired. The silence of the others speaks volumes.”
The Carlton Besties also responded on Instagram: “A perfect example of why initiatives like @carltonrespects need to exist. Whether a ‘content creator boxing match’ is a joke or not, violence against women and conversations surrounding the issue should not be mocked.”
They also said it was not the first time the podcast had brought their group up in a derogatory manner.
“For those who aren’t already aware, Carlton Respects is Carlton’s flagship community initiative, which helps with the promotion of gender equality for the prevention of violence against women,” they said.
“And for the next two weeks and beyond, as we have the past three years, we will continue to use our platform to highlight this and work alongside Carlton to do our part.
“This isn’t the first time, and I’m sure it’s not going to be the last, but this page in particular keeps using us in their content in a negative way, for whatever reason, but this is where we draw the line. We don’t mind if you don’t like us, we don’t mind if you don’t like our content. We understand it isn’t for everyone.
“I think it’s one thing that it’s not even opposition supporters, these are fellow Carlton fans talking about us like this. Can’t believe I have to say it, but if you have nothing nice to say, learn to say nothing at all.”
